Brokeback Alchemist
by FMAWriterGuild
Summary: Roy/Ed. In 19th century Texas, two brothers struggle running a ranch in the harsh climate. After recruiting a new ranch hand, Roy Mustang, disaster strikes the community and Edward and Roy must learn to work together or risk losing everything dear to them


This is a collaboration work brought to you by FMAWritersGuild, a joint account organised by a group of writers, writing for the RoyEd pairing. Each chapter will be written by a different author, whose names and profiles are listed in the profile for this account. We hope you enjoy our project!

Summary:

EdxRoy. In 19th Century Texas, two brothers struggle to run a ranch and remain self sufficient following the death of their mother. Shortly after the recruit of a new ranch hand, Roy Mustang, disaster strikes their small community and Edward and Roy must put aside their differences and learn to work together or risk losing everything dear to them.

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Chapter 1 by Ethereal_Moonshine

A new day had dawned over a small ranch somewhere in Texas, and Edward Elric, owner of the ranch, was not in the best of moods. The predators which roamed the land were getting more daring. Today was supposed to be the day that he and his brother completed the work needed to plant this years crops, yet so far Edward had been up most of the night protecting their cattle. Ed stifled a yawn as he narrowly avoided the large animal, stumbling over a rock only to flip away backwards as soon as he regained his footing. The sleep deprivation was catching up on him, and Edward knew that he needed to end this quickly. Transmuting his automail arm into a deadly blade, Ed rushed towards the creature and speared it dead, before tossing the carcass aside and using his left arm to wipe the sweat from his brow.

'Ed! Edward!' he heard his brother Alphonse calling him from the other side of the ranch. Ed transmuted his arm back to normal before rushing off in the direction his brother called from, hoping that Al was ok. He couldn't lose his brother, not after everything that they had been through. Rounding the corner, Ed took in the sight before him. The only plough the brothers owned lay in pieces. Ed cursed and made his way closer to inspect the damage.

'Does it look bad brother?' Al asked, looking on nervously as he scratched the back of his head with his hand. If they didn't get this fixed soon, they wouldn't have a crop to harvest when the time came, and if they didn't have a crop they couldn't afford to feed the cattle. If that happened they could lose the ranch they had grown up on.

Ed nodded, knowing that the equipment was again broken badly enough to need attention from a mechanic. Winry was going to kill him. Still, perhaps she would be buying supplies in the next town and old lady Pinako could do this job for them. Either way, a trip to town was needed.

'One of us will have to go into town to see the Rockbells.' Ed mumbled, knowing that they couldn't leave the ranch unattended, despite the dangers presented by travelling alone. He looked up to see his brother waving, and cursed as he saw Winry coming towards them. He stuck his head in the toolbox quickly and pretended to be busy as Al called out a greeting to her.

'It broke down again?' Winry asked, after returning Al's greeting and heading over to her childhood friends.

'Yeah' Al answered 'Can you take a look at it for us?'

'Sure' Winry answered, before kneeling down next to the plough. Ed looked up at her as she spoke to him. 'Perhaps you should sell this place' she suggested, knowing how much of a struggle it was for the boys on their own. 'You could easily find work helping out on another ranch'

Ed glared at her quickly and snapped 'We're not selling! Right Al? We can cope!'

'Yeah, this is our home Winry. We grew up here' Al agreed, though with less conviction than his brother. Despite his attachment to the ranch, he could admit that they were struggling. 'Though we could hire someone to help us out. It is a little difficult with just the two of us'

'We don't need anyone else!' Ed grumbled, standing and crossing his arms over his chest. 'We manage just fine on our own!'

'Calm down brother' Al soothed 'It was just a suggestion.'

'Sorry Al' Ed apologised, 'Maybe if we could afford it I'd be more open to the idea, but you know we just about manage to look after ourselves as it is'

'You guys are going to need a lot of spare parts to fix this thing this time' Winry piped up from amongst the pieces, where she had gone back to work as soon as the brothers had started arguing. She felt a little bad for bringing up the subject of selling, but both herself and her grandmother worried about the boys living on their own and looking after such a big ranch. It had been that way since their mother died. Soon after that a farming accident had left Edward with two false limbs. Winry and her grandmother had feared that the accident would devastate the Elric ranch, but in fact it was quite the opposite. After the accident the bond between the brothers had strengthened considerably. Edward had pulled through quickly and taken control of running the ranch, despite being abandoned by every farm hand that they had, and the boys managed to produce enough to survive. Winry knew that without his false limbs, Edward would have struggled to find any work, and the ranch would have been lost long ago. She was glad to be able to help her childhood friends in any way that she could, and would give them discounts on any work that she did for them from time to time. After all, herself and her grandmother made a profitable living. Mechanics were in high demand in the newly developing communities and people came from all over Texas to seek their services.

'I'm afraid we're going to need to go into town. I need some parts from my workshop' Winry mused, shaking her head at the destruction. 'You two are aware that this model requires two people to operate it? By the state of you Edward, I'd say you've been fighting wild animals again, rather than helping you're brother'

Ed looked down at himself, and saw the evidence of his earlier fight with the wolf splattered over his shirt. He would need to change before he accompanied Winry to town. Of course he knew the plough really needed two people operating it. The problem was that two people were all they had, and ploughing wasn't the only job that needed doing.

With a resigned sigh, Ed nodded and turned to his brother. 'I'll go with Winry to get what we need. Are you going to be ok to look after things here Al?'

'I'll be fine' Al assured. 'Be sure to pick up one of Gracia's home made pies for supper!'

'Sure' Ed agreed, and turned to Winry. 'I'm going to go change and then we can leave. I want to be back before nightfall so we can get the work done as soon as possible.'

'I can't work in the dark you know' Winry retorted. 'I can always fix it in the morning.'

'Fine' Ed answered reluctantly. The longer they waited to get this fixed, the later the harvest would be. Unfortunately it looked as if the work would have to wait until tomorrow, as it would already be past noon by the time they reached town.

It was, as Edward had predicted, just after noon when they reached town, and, as was usual at this time of day it was very busy. The town Winry lived in was a center of business connected to a main railway line which was a useful link for trade and for bringing new customers to the area. Edward stuffed his hands into his pockets to grasp his wallet, mindful of pickpockets, and stuck close to Winry as she weaved her way expertly in and out of crowds of people before coming to a stop in front of Gracias.

'You get you're supper and meet me at my house ok Ed? I should be able to get the parts together for you faster if your not under my feet' Winry ordered, turning to leave.

'I'm not that small!' Ed growled, trying to swat at her as she skipped out of the way.

'See you later Edward!' she waved from a safe distance as a fuming Edward turned to enter the pie shop.

'Hello again Edward' Gracia greeted warmly, and Ed's foul mood evaporated. Gracia made the best pies Ed had ever tasted and was one of the nicest people he had ever met. 'What can I do for you today?'

'Alphonse wants pie for supper' Ed answered, grinning. 'And I wanted to know if you've put Maes out of his misery yet.'

Maes Hughes was responsible for local law enforcement, and it was common knowledge that he had settled his eye on Gracia for some time now. He had so far been unsuccessful in his endeavours, but was proving to be highly persistent.

Gracia nodded, removing a fresh pie from the oven as she wrapped it for Edward. 'I decided to let him take me out to dinner. His persistence is admirable.'

'He's a good guy' Ed agreed, accepting the wrapped pie. 'How much do I owe you?'

'You take that one on the house Ed, and try and find yourself a partner' Gracia advised, often acting as a maternal figure to the brothers. 'Winry likes you well enough'

'Thank you for the pie' Edward replied, feeling a little bit uncomfortable. 'I can't accept your advice though. You know I'm too busy with the ranch to worry about romance'

'Perhaps then you should hire some help?' Gracia suggested, winking. 'That way you'd have more time for yourself. There's a young man going about town asking for work, but there aren't as many jobs as there used to be. Maybe you could give him a try.'

Ed contained himself long enough to offer a short 'Thank you' and 'I'll think on it' to Gracia before heading off quickly towards Winrys. What was it with people and assuming that the brother's couldn't manage on their own? Sure it was a struggle sometimes, but they got by didn't they? Ed sighed, his anger dissipating, knowing deep down that Alphonse was right and their friends were really only looking out for him. Some hired help would be a very useful thing to have, if he could find someone to work for free.

Edward was still musing over this dilemma when he arrived at the Rockbell house. Pushing open the door with his free hand, he noticed Pinako Rockbell in conversation with a man who seemed in a desperate state. Ignoring them, Ed scanned the room for Winry and found her piling up some materials in a corner.

'Hey Win' Ed greeted. 'Did you find everything?'

'Everything I need to do the job, yes. Now all you need to do is carry it back to the ranch' Winry explained.

'Not a problem.' Ed replied. He motioned to the man curiously with his automail arm 'So whose the guy?'

'Well from what I overheard he's looking for a job' Winry whispered conspiratorially. 'Quite a catch don't you think?'

Ed looked the man over. He was rather dishevelled, his ebony hair in disarray, and his shirt was rumpled and dirty, but there was something wild and intriguing about him. He supposed it was that which Winry was referring to.

Ed shrugged to indicate his apathy to his friend. 'I can't say he's my type' he muttered sarcastically. 'Are you giving him a job then?'

'By the look on Granny's face, no. It's a shame. He looks like such a strong man' Winry replied, dreamily. 'I'd love to work with him!'

'If your trying to make me jealous, its not working' Ed groused, having decided long ago that he and his wrench wielding mechanic would never be more than friends. 'He doesn't look particularly strong either' Ed observed, looking the man over. Sure, he was tall, and relatively good looking, but he seemed a little scrawny. Ed concluded that he had the advantage in strength.

'He looks much stronger than you!' Winry protested, grabbing her wrench menacingly, not noticing that they now had a captive audience.

Edward was about to retort when Pinako stepped in between them. 'Now, now that's enough of that' she groused, puffing on her pipe. 'You're making our guest uncomfortable'

Winry let her wrench arm fall to her side, setting the wrench down on the workbench. 'I'm so sorry Mr…' she began, then realised that her eavesdropping had not given her the mans name.

'Roy Mustang' Roy introduced 'Your grandmother is letting me stay here tonight'

'Mr Mustang is looking for work Edward, perhaps you could hire him to help at the ranch' Pinako suggested, giving Ed a meaningful look.

'You must be joking!' Ed exclaimed. 'He doesn't look like he knows the meaning of hard work!'

'I've worked on ranches before' Roy interjected smoothly and added, unable to resist taunting this presumptuous young man, 'I think you'll find I know what I'm doing, and being twice your size, I'm sure I would get twice as much work done'

Edward was fuming. The man had no right to be so rude to someone he had just met! 'You…' Ed growled in frustration and turned to Pinako 'He's unemployable! There's no way I can work with him!'

'Edward we both know you could really use the help' Pinako argued. 'Roy has an impressive record of work, particularly on ranches and I'm sure you'll find his rates very agreeable.'

Ed knew Pinako could get nasty if she wanted to, especially when it came to what she perceived as his best interests. Roy Mustang was the most obnoxious man he had ever met and Edward didn't think that he could bear being in his presence another five minutes. He did not want to employ this man, but needed to make it appear as if he had at least tried to offer him a job to appease Pinako. Ed grinned triumphantly. He had his plan.

'Fine. I'll promise to employ you as long as you agree to the conditions I set out' Ed offered, smirking.

Roy didn't like the look of that smirk, but this boy was cocky and arrogant and needed to be brought down a peg or two. Edward was his last hope of finding work in this town. He needed work, and more importantly a place to live. Travelling looking for a job was becoming tiresome.

'Fine' Roy agreed, flashing a smirk of his own. 'State your terms'

'If you want to work for me I'll offer you a room and meals, but not money. You also have to prove your usefulness by carrying back all these parts to my ranch' Ed grinned. Few people would agree to those terms. Most sane people required payment for their services. Now he could get out of employing this man without Pinako blaming him. After all, she knew the brothers couldn't really afford to pay hired help and if Roy refused his terms, it was his own fault, not Ed's.

Roy had to admit those were pretty rotten terms. Even the harshest employers would offer a small personal allowance. Still, a roof over his head and food in return for a little work was much better than the alternative and he could always do extra jobs in town if he did need money. Roy had a feeling that Edward wanted him to refuse. All the more reason to accept then.

'When do I start?' Roy asked innocently, watching Edwards reaction. It wasn't what he had expected. He had expected an outburst from this temperamental young man, but Edward was looking at him curiously with a strange look on his face. It seemed as if he had some control over that temper of his.

'Right away' Edward gestured vaguely in the direction of Winrys pile of supplies, willing himself not to react in the way he knew Roy wanted or expected him to. 'I want all those carried back to the ranch so Winry can fix our plough tomorrow.'

Edward mused to himself silently as Roy began to gather up all of Winrys things. He was intrigued that the man had agreed to work for so little. Roy must really be desperate for work, either that or the man was trying to infuriate him. Still, he supposed it wasn't a total disaster, after all he did need a helping hand on the ranch, and Roy's attitude left him with no hard feelings about working the man as hard as possible. Sighing to himself, he gathered up some of the materials, and turned to Winry. 'I'll see you first thing tomorrow'

'Sure Edward' Winry answered. 'Are you sure you're ok with this?'

'I'm sure I'll live with it.' Ed growled, glaring at Pinako who was smiling knowingly. 'I can't help but think the old bat planned this'

'You know she only cares about you Edward. Anyway, Roy doesn't seem so bad. I'm sure you'll be friends in no time' Winry tried to reassure her friend.

'Perhaps' Ed replied, looking over at Roy covertly. The man was tolerable when he wasn't talking. Maybe in time they could learn to live with each other. At least Alphonse would be pleased that they would finally have someone to help them out.

'Are you coming?' Edward queried, turning to Roy and then swiftly heading to the door.

'Fine, lead the way' Roy grumbled, weighed down by the larger amount that he was expected to carry. Edward was certainly an enigma, and may prove to be an interesting person to work for. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of ranch Edward lived on, and wondered if the younger brother that Pinako Rockbell had mentioned to him was as temperamental as Edward seemed to be.


End file.
